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Walked that years ago and had fun. .met some dude skateboarding down the road.

Nutrition on trail is difficult. I started the PCT 6'2" 209 lbs. I was in great shape a runner and 6 days a week in the gym. When I reached Kenedy Meadows, I weighed 185. I couldn't eat enough to maintain my weight. I eventually had to force myself to eat more and almost continually snack while hiking. The increased unfortunately was a lot of unhealthy calories like candy bars, peanut butter, and cookies that I never eat in normal life. Resupply on trail and eating healthy is difficult unless you are in bigger towns or send yourself resupply boxes.

Age? What was your Base Weight? Overall Pack Weight? Thank You

Nice overview. Hope more hikers talk about nutrition. Thx. Your right. The unnecessary stuff added to food is terrible. IMHO, 3000 calories per day is not enough esp in the Sierra where burning more than 5000 is common. My strategy is carry less/Resupply more often. Even so, I carry between 1.5-2 lbs of food per day. Most jumps are 2-4 days for me. Kearsarge to VVR is my longest @ 5.5 days. I cold soak. Another commonly overlooked area is electrolytes (esp sodium & potassium). My “meal” nutrition does not cover all electrolyte needed so in the afternoon I have to supplement to be ok. I like the Salt Stick, LMNT, Nuun products. See the Gear Skeptic for the facts. 👍 Altra Lp, Solar, umbrella 👏

Great advice and greatly appreciated, looking at doing the PCT in 2025 and getting kit finalized or so I believe a consistent adjustments. Again thanks for your content, have a great weekend.

Every time you pulled out gear, I was seeing where the extra weight was coming from, then as I was thinking to myself "he could save weight by..." then you would acknowledge it was excess weight and that you're already working on removing it. 😂 I'm glad you acknowledge you were carrying a heavy haul, it doesn't seem like it until everything is all packed up. As you pointed out, the more miles you hike, the less food/bulk you need to carry. I see why a few others I follow are doing 25-30 mile days. What I recommend is making a spreadsheet and have a weight column (there is a website that does this), have a formula add the column, etc. Then start stripping away the unnecessary items you don't need that should be shipped ahead. That ice axe may be light, but it's still extra weight that adds up and should only be used in snowy terrain, use a rock that you don't have to carry to drive in your tent stakes! Haha I had recommended the Zpacks Arc Haul Ultra 60L framed pack. As you already know, most backpackers are so used to packing/unpacking, they usually have a pack with a single compartment and just stuff everything in layers ordered by importance, you can shed a lot of weight and gain more space by adopting that system. Just roll stuff up, shove it in the bag, ditch the sack organizers and save time! I have a new Arc Haul 60L that I was going to offer you to use hoping to save your hike, but your back and health needed attention and you needed the break. Hope you weren't close to getting rhabdomyolysis. I notice that my back has to adjust 1-2 nights when I switch a sleep surface, like if I sleep on a bed, my back hurts for a couple nights then adjusts, but if I sleep on the couch, the process starts over. Did you have any issues when you went back to sleeping on the mattresses on your zero days?

Great stuff, I like the foot routine. I’ll be buying the wipes.

Now the Canadians are invading the pct 😅 There everywhere

Got to take care of yourself! Watch out for the grizzly bears in the Canadian Rockies! I understand there are places where hikers are required to hike in groups of 3’s for protection!

I'll stick around for some Canadian rockies videos. I've flown over them and they liked amazing. Rugged. But amazing

Maybe your pack weight was an issue? It sounded like some of your gear was on the heavier side (did you say in a video that your tent was 4 lbs, and I think those packs are in the 4lb range?) Just a thought. Gear is a personal issue so I'm not saying that was your issue, but maybe a factor. Have fun on whatever adventures are next. I'd also love to see some Canadian Rockies footage. 👍

Thank you for the update, I think you are a sensible hiker❤ from Gilbert, Arizona

So sorry your back was hurting you my friend, I love your videos. You have to take care of yourself. I will be sticking with you and can't wait to see your other adventures. Much love plant papa

Reckon your pack load was generally too heavy - us old guys gotta go super light on thru hike - best way to avoid injury.

Sounds like you weren't prepared for a through hike. You really have to have all your gear put to the test before hand as well as your body. Don't sweat it, through hiking is not fun but just another feather in your hat. Besides you would have never made it through the High Sierra this year with all the snow. And the Sierra's are the most demanding section as well as the most awesome place on earth so you want to hike them when conditions are good so you can enjoy being there. I'm not a through hiker but I have done most of all the sections that are worth the time and effort. Looking forward to your future videos.

Well, at least your family got to have you back! ❤

Canadian ( Newfie) here. I hiked the PCT last year and got off due to injuries in Lone Pine. I am back again this year… last year I beat myself up after having to get off. This year my mindset is different as I think I enjoy it more knowing I can hike for as long as I feel like it and then go home and start up the following year where I left off the year before- through hiking just doesn’t seem as important as it was last year. Show us the Rockies as we have done great views in Canada too.

Cant wait to see Canada!

As a former long distance hiker for me the keys were shoes 👟..do they provide enough support for the weight your carrying...pack fit as you mentioned...but 65 l is big for a thru hike but I prefer light and fast and finally food...the Southern Section...dirty feet...even with gators my feet were disgusting...skip the thru hike and do the Sierras...everything else is secondary to the Rockies

We’re with you! Get well and please keep the videos coming!

I'm sticking with you Plant Papa. I'm 60 yrs old myself, The PCT has always been on my bucket list as well. That being said I am from Vancouver Island and have been on some amazing shorter backpacking trips just on the island out here and I have to say what BC and Alberta have to offer is just as challenging and amazing as anything the PCT can give you.

Show us your Canadian Rockies brother! Don't worry about the PCT. ✌️💙

That sure didn't look like a fun hike, more like a crappy job everyday. Thanks for posting.

Thank you for taking me along on your hike. I retired at age 62 in 2017 and began my hike on the pct. Got to Idyllwild and had to get off trail. The trail takes its toll physically. Wish you the best in your future, enjoyed your adventures.

What didn’t you like about your food?

You didn’t seem very happy on the trail. And Canada is beautiful beyond compare! I would love to see some Canadian trails. You’ll enjoy the Oregon coast a lot.

Bummer you had the problems before you got to the Sierra’s. That may have changed your mind about continuing. The desert gets old after a short while.

We got to go to Banff and Jasper and fell in love with it! You are very lucky to live so close! Would love to see your adventures there!

I'm glad you are feeling better. You could always do some sections of PCT and decide what's best for you.

Thx for sharing your thoughts about what’s going on. I’m in a similar situation for slightly different reasons. Think you made a smart choice. Trails (PCT) will always be there for us. For dialing in your nutrition, check out the Gear Skeptic’s 5 nutrition TH-cam videos. Very informative, especially on electrolytes.

Go Papa go keep it up buddy

I found your channel looking at the Zulu 55 a few days ago. Image my surprise when I jumped to the most recent video and learned of all of the trouble you’re having with all the packs and now back to a Zulu. 😂 I hope you get it figured out soon!

Sorry to hear you are still having issues with your back despite switching packs. It might be a good idea to take a few days rest off trail and start again, hopefully pain free this time. It must wear you down to be in pain all the time. Thanks for the videos 🙂.

You need a tramily!

I stayed at that campground when it was a KOA, and I remember it being noisy with constant train traffic. I hope your back is feeling better.

You should be more excited to start the Sierras than starting a new state! Lol, I'm excited for you and the next section. As far as the pack, it's your pack design amd overall pack weight that's harming your back. You should have acclimated to your gear, by now. As I mentioned before, your tent and your backpack are 2 items you carry throughout the entire trail. If you can afford to splurge, those would be the 2 places to buy premium. You can buy DCF tents that weigh around 1lb. Research Durston X-Mid Pro 1 (Dan is Canadian and an amazing innovator), the competition honestly is kind-of meh in terms of quality and design. Z-Packs does make a single trekking pole tent that has less of a footprint, but the Durston will give you more vestibule space and the zipper door doesn't unzip onto the ground. Z-Packs Arc Haul Ultra is a great pack, it has a carbon fiber frame that keeps your pack off of your back, the weight is more focused onto your shoulders and hips through the hip belt. That pack is a little over a pound. From there, you have to go through your pack and really think about what items to discard for the next section(s), which should be done when you're going through the desert, any way. Lots of people do tend to over pack, and that's okay, just know when to let go of items because every pound adds up!

RV resorts are like that. Bleech. If you’re tired of the desert, you’ll have a grind until Kennedy Meadows. Hopefully you’ll hike through the Sierra before you say “done with CA” …it’s not all desert and the small towns have a better hiker feel.

I don't blame you for. Moving on when that place was so noisy! It's kind like culture shock after being on the trail!

Oh gees maybe starting a month later at Campo may here been better, good going tho ! Hey apart from bk issues (darned pack), have you had any feet issues, blisters etc ? Also as a fellow old guy - how old are you ?

You should invest in one of those gps enabled help devices.

Wow.

I’d say you won’t be doing the Sierras. You’ve not seen snow like that yet!

Maybe hike with friends in the sketchy sections. For emergencies do you have a Garmin? I’m so glad that you are ok!

Cloud formation 😊could be a rocket launch. Could be a launch from Vandenburg……

Glad you got through this intact. Does seem a little early for that area if the goal is to avoid snow. Great info when I do those sections next year.👍

Goodbye guy, taking the easy way , isn't my thing.

I love your essential oil tip with the wet wipes. Why do you choose cedar? Is there a specific reason or you just like the scent? I definitely will try this but wondering what the best multi purpose oil might be? Any suggestions? I'm enjoying following your journey. You're a great example of how to slowly ramp up the mileage. 🌻

Yikes! Glad you made it out of the snow zone! BTW, what backpack did you end up getting? Hope your back is feeling better.

Our Heavenly Father looked after you and brought you to the very best place❤Your family is grateful , I am sure! 21.49 time stamp.

“I’ll be walking a lot …unfortunately.” wtf dude?